Cable anchor connector



Jan. 8, 1963 w. s. CHICKVARY ETAL CABLE ANCHOR CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 23, 1959 WILLIAM S. CH/CKVARY CHARLES E. D/BBLE IN V EN TORS W -ZM United States Patent j" 3,071,831 CABLE ANCHOR CONNECTOR ,William S. Chickvary, Norwalk, and Charles E. Dibble, Ridgefield, Conn, assignors to Burndy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 841,832 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-126) Our invention relates to a cable connector used for anchoring a service cable which may connect a main line wire.

Such connectors usually consist of loose wedging jaws movable in the connector body to secure the cable. The jaws when loosened fall apart and are diflicult to assemble. The body is secured to an insulator by means which usually develops an eccentrically loaded connection.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a unitary jaw assembly which is always secured to and aligned within the connector body although removable at will; and to provide an anchorage to an insulator which is reliable and which provides an axially loaded connection.

We accomplish these and other objects and obtain our new resultsas will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the cable anchor;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the assembled connection;

FIG. 3 is an end view taken in the plane 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of a modification of the insulator securing means to the connector body.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the connector body comprises a C-shaped shell provided with a lateral opening 12. Within the connector body oppositely positioned taper grooves 14 and 16 are formed, which extend longitudinally through the body. Within these grooves a pair of jaws 18 and 20 are positioned. The jaws are similarly tapered and will slide within the connector body grooves until they close tightly about the cable 22 inserted therebetween. The jaws are serrated, as at 34, to facilitate a good grip from the cable.

The jaws are secured together by a U-shaped wire spring retainer 26, one end of which is embedded within the end of the corresponding jaw. The wire is inwardly bent at each end, as at 28, to permit the jaws at 29 to grip the cables slightly when retracted. This eliminates the need for the installer to start to cable, since the compression between the jaws on the cable at 29 will permit the jaws and cable to be drawn into the connector body as a unit, until they are securely wedged.

The bottom of the U of the retainer is outwardly looped to form a handle 30, to engage the connector body when the jaws are moved to a retracted or fully opened position. The retainer handle thus acts as a stop when the jaws are loosened, or as a handle to slide the jaws and the cable as a unit in the connector body until they are wedged.

At the other end of the connector body a pair of oppositely extending aperture cars 32 are positioned for attachment to the two ends of a wire ball 34. The bail is looped about an insulator support not shown forming an anchorage.

The apertures 35 of the ears may be made with an open slot 36 for receiving a flat portion 38 of the bail wire. When threaded therein and tension is applied between the bail and connector body, the headed ends 40 of the bail engage the ears. easily into the apertured ears or remove the same for assembly to the insulator.

Thus, it is possible to insert the bail 3,07 1,831 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 In the connector 10A, illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the ends of bail 34A is inwardly and backwardly bent to provide a catch 40A. This is passed through the opening 35A in the ears 32A to secure the connector body to the insulator.

The back of the C shaped connector body is preferably thickened, as at 42, to provide adequate strength to keep the body from opening when a heavy pull is applied to the cable. Adequate strength isprovided without adding excessive weight of the connector body by forming peripherally extending ribs 44 (44A in FIG. 4) which are joined together along the reinforcing spine (shown as 46A in FIG. 4) of the connector body. Thus, hollow compartments 48 (see FIG. 3) are formed between the ribs and the spine to reduce the weight and material requirement for the connector body, without loss of strength. The connector body grooves and the tapered jaws may be a flattened oval in cross-section, to reduce the width of the connector body, as is shown in FIG. 3.

At installation, the jaws are retracted, thus opening the connector to permit entrance of the cable. In this position, the spring handle engages the connector body. After the conductor is placed in the connector, the jaws may be brought forward by means of handle 30, locking the cable within the connector jaws, as is shown in FIG. 2. Tension on the cable will cause further tightening of the jaws on the cable. Securing the connector to the insulator may be made either before or after the cable installation.

The spring retainer will prevent the jaws from falling out before installation of the cable. The retainer will keep the jaws properly aligned longitudinally and laterally. It will also spread the jaws when retracted although able to grip the cable slightly because of the bends 28 which cause the jaws to be slightly tilted in the retracted position.

The bail supports the connector axially with respect to the cable thus freeing the connection from eccentric forces which may tend to loosen the wedge connection. By providing a spine and rib construction, the weight is reduced without loss of strength.

We have thus described our invention, but we desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular form or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from spirit of the invention, and that, therefore, we claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims by means of which objects of our invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A side entrance cable grip comprising: a pair of jaws of tapered thickness adapted to grip a cable therebetween; a resilient retaining member fixedly secured to the small end of each said jaw; said retaining member including a resilient bend whereby the large ends of said jaws are biased apart, and the small ends of said jaws are biased close together to a separation smaller than the diameter of the cable to be inserted therebetween; and an open sided body member of substantially C-shaped cross-section having a space between the edges defining the opening in the open side of said body member and having a pair of grooves, one of said pair of grooves being disposed at each side of the space in the open side of said body member, each of said grooves being adapted to receive one of said jaws.

2. A grip according to claim 1 wherein said body member grooves are disposed at an angle to each other, the

grooves being closer together at their ends proximate the small ends of said jaws, and said retaining member is U- shaped and has a loop formed at the portion intermediate the ends of the legs of said U-shaped member which has an extent from the longitudinal axial plane of said grooves in a direction perpendicular to said plane greater than the perpendicular distance from said longitudinal axial plane to the interior surface of said body member opposite the said open side of said body member.

3. A grip according to claim 1 wherein said retaining member is a spring-wire biasing said jaws apart and into engagement with said grooves of said body member.

4. A grip according to claim 2 wherein the U-shaped retainer is a resilient wire having inwardly bent portions for causing saiid jaws to be relatively tilted whereby the inner, opposed surfaces are relatively disposed at an acute angle when said jaws are retracted at least in part from said body member. 

1. A SIDE ENTRANCE CABLE GRIP COMPRISING: A PAIR OF JAWS OF TAPERED THICKNESS ADAPTED TO GRIP A CABLE THEREBETWEEN; A RESILIENT RETAINING MEMBER FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE SMALL END OF EACH SAID JAW; SAID RETAINING MEMBER INCLUDING A RESILIENT BEND WHEREBY THE LARGE ENDS OF SAID JAWS ARE BIASED APART, AND THE SMALL ENDS OF SAID JAWS ARE BIASED CLOSE TOGETHER TO A SEPARATION SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CABLE TO BE INSERTED THEREBETWEEN; AND AN OPEN SIDED BODY MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIALLY C-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION HAVING A SPACE BETWEEN THE EDGES DEFINING THE OPENING IN THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND HAVING A PAIR OF GROOVES, ONE OF SAID PAIR OF GROOVES BEING DISPOSED AT EACH SIDE OF THE SPACE IN THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER, EACH OF SAID GROOVES BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONE OF SAID JAWS. 